The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, also known as the Race to the Clouds, has been run since 1916. The course climbs 4,700 feet in just over 12 miles. This demanding race has become something of a showplace for electric racing – several EV startups have distinguished themselves there, including Lightning Motorcycles, Rimac and Faraday Future.

Now Volkswagen has announced that it is developing an all-electric race car for the next Hill Climb in June 2018. The all-wheel-drive vehicle is being developed by Volkswagen Motorsport in close cooperation with Technical Development in Wolfsburg. The goal is no less than to set a new record for electric cars, which would reflect well on Volkswagen’s announced strategy of transforming itself into the leading producer of EVs.

“The Pikes Peak hill climb poses an enormous challenge and is therefore perfectly suited to proving the capabilities of upcoming technologies,” said VW Board Member Dr Frank Welsch. “Our electric race car will be equipped with innovative battery and drive technology. The extreme stress test posed by Pikes Peak will give us important feedback that will benefit future development.”

Source: Volkswagen via Green Car Congress